Contents

Description

The word "kuruma" means "car" in Japanese (車, くるま), which may suggest that the car is of Japanese origin. "Kuruma" may also be a reference to the Toyota Camry, the bestselling midsize sedan in the United States, with "Camry" being an Anglicized phonetic transcription of the Japanese word kanmuri (冠, かんむり) for "crown". (Toyota has a naming tradition of using the word "crown" for primary models, starting with the Toyota Crown in 1955, continuing with the Toyota Corona and Toyota Corolla, the Latin words for "crown" and "small crown", respectively.)

During development of GTA III, the Kuruma was originally known as the "Sentinal", not to be confused by the Sentinel which is another sedan in the final version of the same game that was previously known as the "Beamer" during development.

Version History Gallery

Performance

3D Universe

In GTA III, the Kuruma has a five-cylinder engine with a turbocharged sound, a 5-speed gearbox and a FWD powertrain. Whilst the engine is powerful enough to propel the light Kuruma to high straight line speeds, the front wheel drive layout causes understeer. Players may therefore favor using the handbrake to swing around turns at high speed. In GTA Liberty City Stories, its engine is naturally-aspirated, coupled to a 3-speed gearbox and emits the same engine sound as the Manana, Idaho and the Perennial.

The Kuruma's steady handling makes it a good choice as a "beginners' car", and it is the first car the player drives in both GTA III and GTA Liberty City Stories (in the missions "Give Me Liberty" and "Home Sweet Home", respectively).

The Kuruma possesses almost identical handling properties to the GTA III rendition of the Taxi.

Grand Theft Auto Online

The Kuruma has a modeled twin-cam straight six engine, placed longitudinally in a front engine, all wheel drive layout (a rather unique distribution of 1/3 of the engine power to the front wheels and the rest to the rear wheels). According to Southern San Andreas Super Autos, the car has a 6-speed gearbox, a top speed of 147mph and weights 2,866lbs. The Kuruma features a turbo dump-valve sound effect by default, although the player can add another turbo for a significantly higher acceleration.

Due to the lightweight chassis and top-heaviness on the car, The Kuruma has a tendency to lift onto two wheels and even flip during sharp, high speed turns, or roll the car. It is slightly bested by the Sultan in terms of top speed. However, in terms of grip, the Sultan stands a heavy ground when attacking corners at high speed. The Kuruma tends to slide attempting to attack corners at similar speeds. Off-road, the Kuruma is one of the fastest cars in the game, with its high traction allowing for high speeds on off-road terrain which allows it to keep up to even some Super cars.

The Kuruma does not deform easily when crashed, as it can only be scratched or lose body parts (it still has bodywork deformation, albeit to a lesser extend). The same is true with the Panto and Coquette Classic.

Kuruma also exists as a car manufacturer in Midnight Club, another game published by Rockstar Games. It has one model called the Faasuto with 3 variants: The GR, GS, and GT.

The Kuruma is referenced in an episode of crime drama NCIS where Agent Ziva David tells Agent Leroy Gibbs The a witness said the car was a "Kuruma". Agent Timothy McGee later explains to his confused superiors: "Kuruma is the name of a car in Grand Theft Auto III. It’s a Chrysler Sebring sedan." A video of the exchange can be found here.

3D Universe

The Kuruma in GTA III has more spawn locations in Portland than anywhere else in the city, despite rarely appearing in traffic.

The Kuruma in GTA III seems to lack any form of grill or other air intakes. Realistically, this car would constantly overheat. (Even if it has the hood scoop shown on the FBI Car in the mobile versions)

Grand Theft Auto Online

The Kuruma shares its stock rim design with the Baller (modern version) and Surano.

When opening the hood, the engine can be seen. However, when rolling the car over, there is no visible engine from the bottom, only an empty space and the "upper" side of the engine bay.